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Brooke Kyle, M.D., an obstetrician in Eugene, Ore., birthed all three of her kids via Caesarean section. “There’s pressure that makes people feel like their birth is less worthy if they have to choose a C-section,” Kyle says. At first, she felt beaten that she couldn’t deliver vaginally, but “now I own it and I’m proud of my birth experience,” she says. You can, too!

We’re always harping about what women should do to avoid having a C-section around here. Most women are pretty motivated to avoid that surgery (the #1 surgical procedure performed in America, by the way), but some women have emailed or commented that they don’t see what the big ol’ deal is. It’s a safe surgery, right? It’s just another way to get that baby out, right? If it means they don’t have to push for hours, then all the better. Some women say their doctor wants them to have a C-se

When Eveline Andrews, 28, of Baytown, Texas, was in labor with her first baby three years ago, her doctor told her that she had a narrow pelvis and required a Cesarean section. But when Andrews became pregnant again about a year after giving birth, she felt strongly that she did not want surgery again. At first her obstetrician refused to agree to let her try for a vaginal birth after Cesarean (VBAC) because he felt a repeat C-section would be safer. Andrews persisted, however, and her doctor gave in—and at 40 weeks, she had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery.

There’s no avoiding it. Pregnancy permanently changes you. Some women come through pregnancy with smooth bellies and unmarked skin but most of us have a few souvenirs like stretch marks, saggy skin, poochy tummies and surgical scars. Now that more than a third of all babies are delivered by c-section a third of all Moms have c-section scars. Here are a few FAQs about the most common surgical scar around.

A couple weeks ago I asked readers if the rising c-section rate bothered you or if y’all were OK with the way things are going. I also asked what you’d be willing to do to bring the ever-rising rate down. The number of answers I received was, frankly, underwhelming. Unlike my recent blog about whether kids should be banned from airplanes, which garnered something like 150 comments (when it was posted on

When I hear women debate whether it’s better to have a vaginal birth or a Cesarean section, I’m able to offer a rare perspective: I experienced both—in the same delivery.

I popped out my first twin, Toby, the old-fashioned way. But my second little guy, Ian, was delivered by emergency C-section after his umbilical cord dropped down before he did, potentially compromising his oxygen supply.

Needless to say, I’m grateful to have had that C-section; but in the absence of an emergency situation like mine, I’d choose a vaginal delivery any day.

This CNN headline caught my eye: "Mom won't be forced to have C-section". A woman currently expecting her fourth child is making national news for standing up for her reproductive rights, in the delivery room.

Joy Szabo delivered her first son seven years ago by normal vaginal delivery. Son number two was an emergency cesarean section and number three, another vaginal delivery.

I worked the loveliest labor recently. Marisol and Carlos* arrived on our unit early in my 7AM to 7PM shift, the first patients of my day. I'd woken up that morning hoping for a sweet couple with one of my favorite midwives and to steer clear of the operating room. One never knows what's going to happen on any shift. I could be assigned to anyone: the 7:30 scheduled c-section, an induction, three postpartum mother-baby couplets, the 10AM D&C for miscarriage, outpatients, or any one of a number of labor scenarios.